I know. Taboo topic amiright? But it is possible.
In high school I played varsity sports all four years, and was always focused on my physical health and diet. Since I knew I wasn’t going to keep playing sports in college, I was always afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demands of college, make new friends, get involved, learn about myself, sleep AND be healthy.
After a few days at USC, I realized my desire to stay healthy wasn’t foreign to others. At the end of the day, it’s southern California, and most people here are super fit and healthy and more health conscious than the rest of the country. But, it’s still up to you to make the right decisions. The pizza station at the dining hall is closer to the entrance than the salad bar, the pasta bar flows right into the meat station, and any free food event on campus means “free papa johns pizza.” Oh and, no more PE. You can literally get away with never stepping foot in the gym and only eating pizza for the next four years here, but DON’T DO IT!
If you’re interested in staying healthy or getting healthy when you come to USC, it’s entirely possible, and there are so many resources to do it. Here are just some of them:
- The Wellness Center. This is a room/ resource at the USC health center that provides you with free tampons, condoms, UTI medication but most importantly free yoga and destress dogs! One of my favorites being the first full time non human employee, Beau!
2. The Lyon Center (the gym): While the gym can be daunting, the classes they offer are not at all. They’re designed for all skill levels, beginners to experts and are a great way to meet friends, and stay in shape. I’ve done both!
3. PED classes: Yep, there are still physical education classes, but they’re way more fun. I’ve taking Physical Conditioning, Weight Training and Surfing! They’re a great way to force you to work out and I find that when I work out, I think more about eating healthy because you notice the effects so much more when you’re fatigued.
4. Put yourself first! Not in the selfish way, just making sure you’re staying healthy. Instead of sitting around a box of pizza hanging out, invite some new friends to go to Lyon Center class, or just go for a walk around USC. You’ll be amazing how quickly your lifestyle can change!
Good luck and fight on!
